The Next Director of the Peace Corps – Aaron Williams

President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Aaron Williams to be Director of the Peace Corps. “America was built on a belief that the best progress comes from ordinary citizens working to bring about the change they believe in,” Obama said. “Through a lifetime of service, Aaron Williams has embodied the very best of that American ideal. I am grateful for his service and honored to nominate him to direct the critical work of the Peace Corps.” Williams currently serves as Vice President for International Business Development with RTI International. He has previously served as senior manager at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), where he attained the rank of Career Minister in the US Senior Foreign Service.

As USAID Mission Director in South Africa, Williams led a billion dollar foreign assistance program during President Nelson Mandela’s administration. Additionally, he has done work with strategic design and management of assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Further, Williams served on the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid at USAID, and has been awarded the USAID Distinguished Career Service Award and the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service twice. Williams also currently is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the Board of Directors of CARE, and the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association. From 1967-1970, Williams served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Upon completing this service, he became the Coordinator of Minority Recruitment and Project Evaluation Officer for the Peace Corps in Chicago from 1970 to 1971. Read more.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Global Narcotics Affairs, released the following statement after the President announced his nomination of Aaron Williams, Vice President for International Business Development with RTI International, to be the Director of the Peace Corps. Dodd, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, who served in the Dominican Republic, recently introduced the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009, which would combine a reform with growth strategy in order to achieve the goal of doubling the size of a reformed, streamlined and more effective Peace Corps.

“I am excited by Mr. Williams’ nomination to be the new Director of the Peace Corps,” said Dodd. “It’s exciting to have a nominee who served in the Peace Corps and also has experience in international development and management. I look forward to discussing the urgent need for broad based reform at the Peace Corps with Mr. Williams at his confirmation hearing and to working with the Obama Administration to strengthen and expand the Peace Corps.” Williams served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 1967-1970. After completing his service, he became the Coordinator of Minority Recruitment and Project Evaluation Officer for the Peace Corps in Chicago for a year. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association.